


Singing Each to Each to Each

by weakinteraction



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Multi, Training, magical transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 21:28:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9290345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weakinteraction/pseuds/weakinteraction
Summary: Three mermaids preparing for a mission to infiltrate the surface world find their temporary human bodies stranger even than they had imagined.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sumi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/gifts).



Issa emerged from the Currents into water near the surface. It wasn't as warm as Kirikana's reef, nor as cold as the deeps of Thalassopolis. But she had made it safely back to the Sunlit World, and Freya said that it would be safe here, and that was what was most important. As she swam in anxious circles, waiting for the other two to emerge from the same patch of Turbulence, Issa wondered if she could have avoided ending up here, contemplating the desperate gambit Freya had brought them here to try, if there was one important decision that she could have made differently.

Only a few days ago, Issa's biggest concern had been the preparations for the Conclave -- or, more specifically, how to avoid Aunt Astarte's obvious machinations in relation to finding her a good husband, wife, or both, during the many receptions and parties that would go on around the once-a-twelveyear meeting of the parliament of all merfolk. But then she had met Kirikana, and the idea of finding someone to share her life with had begun to seem a little less strange. Both of them had -- in retrospect -- been far too shy to do anything about it, though. But it had been Kirikana who had protected her when her aunt's attempt to grab power had come to sudden fruition, taken her back to her home and, when they had been pursued by Astarte's loyalists, bringing tridents and nets to what had been a haven of tranquillity, from there to the Starlit Sea, in search of her mother, the Absent Queen. There, they had learned that the tentacles of Astarte's plot stretched even to that realm, and Queen Viridia had fled to the surface world, disguised as a human.

It was in the Starlit Sea that they had met Freya, a mermaid from fjords of the far north. At first she had seemed to be just another member of her mother's retinue, but it had quickly become clear that she had special responsibilities, and particular talents that helped her to fulfil them. She was determined to help Issa find her mother, even if Issa had never, in all her years, contemplated such a thing. She had always known it was possible, thanks to the devices and instructions left by the Enchantress, but growing up on the ocean floor the idea of land always seemed impossibly far away.

No, Issa thought. There was nothing she could have done differently, to have avoided reaching this point. Aunt Astarte had been planning for years, and while she might have made her move when she did as a result of seeing Issa's attraction to Kirikana, worried at losing control of her niece even before Issa herself had known anything had happened, it would have come sooner or later. Now at least she had two loyal friends to help her restore justice. No, not friends, lovers; on the long swims between different patches of Turbulence to reach this place, thanks to Freya's plainspokenness. Freya had regretted the fact that she had met them too late to be able to act on her attraction to both of them, since they were obviously a couple, and they had confessed that nothing had actually happened between them. After that, the three had swum and danced in many, many configurations, and shared in pleasures Issa had not dreamed of before.

Issa's worry that her new-found lovers might be snatched away from her by a freak Current was growing, though. It was some time now since she had emerged and there was still no sign of them. The Turbulence did strange things to time, and it was not unknown for mermaids entering it only a few moments apart to reappear at much greater intervals. But what if Freya and Kirikana had become lost in the other-ocean somehow? It had been known to happen, though Issa found it hard to imagine it could happen to _them_ : Freya, so adept in so many different ways; and Kirikana, whose graceful movements had been what had drawn her notice towards the reef mermaid in the first place.

Eventually, to Issa's great relief, the pair appeared from the Turbulence together in twin twists of ocean, emerging from the other-ocean through which the Currents ran back to the Sunlit World. They rushed forward to embrace her and she kissed them both, in relief and passion. In response, Freya and Kirikana each took one of her arms and lifted her up until together, they broke the surface. Air entering her lungs was still a shock, as it had been when Kirikana had first taken her above the waves on the reef, but Issa found the breeze cooling her skin strangely pleasant. The sky was grey, covered in every direction by much denser versions of the things Kirikana had called "clouds".

Freya directed their attention to a point not far off where the natural fluidity of the sea was interrupted by something harsh, jagged and solid thrusting out towards the sky.

"The mainland," Issa said wonderingly. The strangeness of her voice caught her by surprise; she was still unused to the way the air made everything sound so different. Hearing Kirikana's Song for the first time in the air above the reef had been a transcendent experience; Issa, on the other hand, was convinced that her voice merely sounded low-pitched and distorted. "Do you think we'll find some clue to my mother's whereabouts there?"

"Hardly, Your Highness," Freya said. "You two have never transformed before. You'll need to practise. A lot."

"Really?" Kirikana asked. "Is it very different?"

"I was here for a full month before I was allowed on my first infiltration mission," Freya said. "But I think I can pass on the most important points to you two in a few days." She looked at Issa earnestly. "Then we go looking for your mother."

"So this is some sort of ... training camp?" Issa asked.

Freya nodded. "This is a very small island. It suits such purposes very well, as it's well out of the way of the routes the landfolk sail. And only a few of the Sentinels' Guild know the ways we took through the Currents to get here. And all those who do are loyal to your mother, I would stake my life on it."

"Well, since you are staking all our lives on it, I will try to find that reassuring," Issa said.

Kirikana looked disappointed. "So we aren't going to see any landfolk?"

Freya laughed. "Not yet. Not unless there are some poor unfortunates who've become very lost indeed. It will take you both some time to ... acclimatise to their form." From the pouch at her waist, Freya produced three small parcels of kelp. She passed one each to Issa and Kirikana and they began to chew on them. The taste was acrid, quite unlike any kelp Issa had ever tried before. "It will take a few minutes to take effect, but we ought to start swimming over."

Freya ate the last remaining parcel herself and dove back down beneath the waves; Issa followed. Kirikana came behind, then raced ahead playfully, until Freya caught up to her and slowed her down. "You'll start to feel the changes soon," she said. "Don't be alarmed. Swimming with legs isn't all that dissimilar to swimming with a tail."

As they continued, Issa felt as though her whole body was alive with some strange energy. Every scale on her tail itched, and even in her upper body -- which she had been led to believe wouldn't change that much -- things seemed to be shifting around. She saw with alarm that the tails of the two ahead of her had started to divide; Freya seemed unfazed, while Kirikana seemed to be thrusting experimentally with her new limbs -- what was it Freya had said they would be doing? "Kicking"? Kirikana was kicking uncoordinatedly, causing her to dart back and forth until Freya caught hold of her and guided her to move each leg separately.

It was only as she watched all this that Issa realised that her own tail was dividing too. Worse than that, she could feel the tips of it turning into strange appendages that were nowhere near as similar to her hands as she had been promised. She began to flounder in the water, making the same sort of flailing motions that Kirikana had. Just as she had for Kirikana, Freya swam over and steadied her. Freya's hand against the new skin on her legs felt much warmer than it would have done on the scales of her tail.

Issa felt herself near panic, but forced it down. She was a princess of the blood royal, she reminded herself. That was what her aunt had said when impressing on her the importance of forming a good alliance for the benefit of Thalassopolis -- not one with some coral reef commoner. She was a princess of the blood royal. Issa decided that it would be her rallying cry in fighting back against Astarte; she could conquer this new problem just as she had so many other minor annoyances over her life so far. And Freya's hand on her was not entirely unpleasant; indeed, now there were two hands, one on either side of her hips, trying to help her move each leg in turn rather than together. "That's right," Freya said, "just kick a little harder."

And then, Issa had shot away from Freya, closer to the shore. Kirikana was ahead, beginning to trying different techniques with her arms and legs, and recovering something of her usual unstudied elegance of movement.

Freya followed behind them. "Good, you're both doing well," she said. "Keep swimming a little longer, and then we'll try going on to land."

The idea still filled Issa with dread, but Freya made it sound like an entirely natural progression. This was a side to her personality that Issa had not seen before; the encouraging teacher was quite different from both the loyal servant she had first appeared, and the cynical spy she had turned out to be. On their long journey here, Issa and Kirikana had found her to also be an almost worshipful lover; Issa suspected there was more truth in the servant facade than Freya would be willing to admit. "How many people have you trained in this sort of thing before?" Issa asked as she swam in circles around her.

"Oh, you're the first," Freya said breezily.

Issa began to reply, but as soon as she opened her mouth water rushed in and somehow she could no longer breathe. Freya grabbed hold of her and pulled her to the surface, where she took a series of big gasping breaths.

Kirikana swam over, breaking the surface too. "Issa! What's wrong?"

"The transformation is nearly finished," Freya said calmly. "Your gills have stopped working."

Issa felt her neck; it was completely smooth. "That's ... very strange," she said. "To put it mildly."

"The same thing's happened to you," Freya said to Kirikana.

"But I wasn't trying to talk," Kirikana said. "So I didn't notice immediately."

Issa felt herself sinking back down beneath the waves, and let it happen. Being enclosed in water felt natural, right. But now it was as though the air in her lungs was a fading algae-clock; she knew she would have to return to the surface soon. She re-emerged, trying to breathe more regularly than before.

"I need to teach you to stay up in the water," Freya said. "Watch my arms and legs." Issa tried to copy the movements as Freya continued, "The landfolk call this 'treading water'. Well, the ones who bother to learn how to do anything other than drown do, anyway."

"They can't all swim?" Kirikana asked, astonished.

"Not even the ones who sail the great wooden ships," Freya said. "Not most of them, anyway. Entering our realm is just as strange for them as it will be for you to enter theirs. And they don't even have magic to help."

Issa noticed that even as Freya spoke her hair was changing colour, its bright green fading and transforming to a shade of brown. Looking around, she saw that Kirikana's skin had taken on a different hue as well. Had she changed herself? She looked at her distorted reflection in the lapping waves; her hair was still black but her skin was no longer its usual pale green. "Are these colours-- Are we _normal_?" she asked. "For landfolk, I mean."

"There's as much variation among them as there is amongst us mermaids," Freya said. "With a little fine-tuning, the transformation potion can be used to help infiltrators blend in wherever they're going. But since we don't actually know where that is"--she gave Issa a look that made her want to protest that it wasn't her fault--"I went for a range."

"I don't like it," Issa said.

"Oh," said Kirikana. "I think you're beautiful." She put her hand over her mouth. "I mean, I already thought you were beautiful, obviously. But--" She turned to Freya. "Are these _feelings_ normal?" She seemed to be almost squirming in the water.

Freya grinned at Kirikana in a way that made Issa feel very uncomfortable. "Oh, yes. Making love as a human is quite the experience."

"Well, we certainly won't be doing any of that," Issa said firmly. She didn't know whether she was more disturbed by the prospect of it happening in the future, or the casual way in which Freya alluded to having done it in the past. She had no problem with the idea that both her lovers had had far more varied experiences than had been open to her in the caverns of the palace. Or at least, she told herself quite firmly that she didn't. But to indulge in such things in human disguise really held no interest at all. Issa banished such thoughts; they were here for an important purpose, after all. "So, Freya," she said, "tell us about 'walking'."

"Ah, yes," Freya said. "Walking. Have you got used to swimming with your legs yet?"

Kirikana dipped under the water, swam all the way around Issa and Freya in a wide circle and then re-emerged. "I think so," she said cheekily.

"And you, Your Highness?"

"It is ... very different," Issa said. "But then I seem to be having a lot of new experiences recently," she added, giving them both a smile.

"The important thing to remember," Freya said, "is that walking with legs is almost nothing like swimming with them." Issa glowered at her, and she became a little more serious. "It's as though as you're pushing off against the ground with your feet, over and over again. The most important rule is to only try to do one foot at a time. Pick them both up at the same time and you'll sink through the air. But it's a lot faster than sinking through water, and you'll hit bottom very hard."

Kirikana looked nervous, and kept dipping down in the water, as though she was trying out different motions that might be 'walking' with her feet.

"Let's swim to the shore and give it a try," Freya said.

"Lead the way," Issa said.

It was only a short swim to the beach; once the water was shallow enough, Freya hauled herself upright on it in a way that Issa couldn't replicate. Kirikana grabbed hold of Freya and pulled herself up bodily, wavering unsteadily as she stepped out of the foaming surf. Issa, by contrast, pulled herself out of the water on hands and leg-elbows -- knees, she remembered -- spluttering the whole way, and very glad that her only audience was her two lovers. After Kirikana was standing upright by herself, Freya turned to Issa and helped her up. Being surrounded by air made her feel cold all over.

"Well done, both of you," Freya said, over the sound of the breaking waves. "This is 'standing up'. The trick to walking is to stop doing this, and then catch yourself and do it again." She jerked forward, until she stood upright again. "There, I just took a step. You try."

Issa carefully lifted a foot and placed it in front of her, then did the same with the other. On the other side of Freya, Kirikana did the same, though she had to steady herself on Freya's arm as she placed the second foot down.

"Good," Freya said encouragingly. "Walking is just doing that, over and over again."

Slowly -- very slowly -- they made their way further from the sea. Issa kept turning around to check that it was still there, but every time she did so she became more unsteady. Eventually, they reached a point where the sand of the beach was piled up and covered with landweed. Kirikana flopped down onto one of the small undulations, and Issa gratefully followed suit. The landweed was surprisingly soft against her skin and she leaned back into it.

Freya arranged herself in between them, legs folded up and tucked under her chin. Issa looked at her in surprise. "Oh, right," she said. "I'm 'sitting'. We can try this later. You've both done very well."

"You really do this all the time?" Kirikana asked.

"Not _all_ the time," Freya said. "But my oath to serve Her Majesty took-- takes me all over the world, Above and Below."

They spent the next several hours on walking practice, and gradually Issa began to master the complications of maintaining her balance while also moving. Freya told her that the noble ladies of the surface world set great store by being able to walk with an object on their head, without allowing it to fall. Issa decided that whatever her station in the real world, she definitely didn't need to pass as a noble lady of the landfolk for their mission.

Eventually, the sky darkened. The clouds had begun to disperse over the course of the afternoon, and now reflected different colours of light from the sun quite beautifully. For Issa, who had only seen in shades of Thalassopolitan green until the last few days, the sight was striking. She lay down on on the landweed-covered mound -- a sand dune, Freya had said it was called -- while Freya did something incomprehensible with some dead vegetable matter she had collected.

"You've never seen a sunset before, have you?" said Kirikana, lying down next to her.

"It's beautiful," Issa said.

"So are you," Kirikana said, edging closer by a sort of wriggling motion that wouldn't have been out of place back in their natural element. "I meant what I said earlier. Even in your human form ... Maybe even especially. I've been watching you all afternoon." She smiled. "Well, when I haven't been watching my own feet, anyway."

"I don't know," Issa said. Kirikana looked pained. "You're still beautiful," Issa assured her rapidly. "But this is all so different."

"Different can be good."

"It's just a lot to take in," Issa said.

"Can we kiss at least?" Kirikana said. "I'd like to kiss you. And it's not as though our mouths have changed."

"Very well," Issa said, giving her a small smile. Kirikana didn't need any further encouragement, and grabbed hold of Issa to pull her close.

They broke apart a few seconds later, both spluttering.

"I'm sorry," Kirikana said when she was able to speak again. "I hadn't really realised ... No gills, I suppose."

"It's all right," Issa said. "Let's try again, but maybe we should take a big breath first."

"Good idea," Kirikana said, inhaling deeply.

Issa breathed in herself, and then rolled towards Kirikana. Their lips met and the same cocktail of sensations that had coursed through Issa when they and Freya had first made love back in the Currents began again, but this time somehow different, transmuted by her new physiology. Her skin tingled all over, feeling as it had when they had first emerged from the sea, though not this time from coldness.

This time, they were startled out of the kiss not by running out of air but by a sudden flare of light and heat coming from where Freya stood. "Freya!" Kirikana shouted in alarm. She tried to stand up to reach her, but immediately fell over. Issa tried to push herself upright, but when she saw Freya coming towards them, unharmed, she relaxed back into the sand dune and began to laugh uncontrollably. Soon, Kirikana was laughing too.

When Freya arrived, she looked at them both curiously. "What's so funny?"

Kirikana tried to explain but dissolved into giggles.

Issa managed to regain control of herself enough to say, "I do hope you aren't going to be relying on us for anything complicated like being able to reach you in a hurry."

"Did you think-- Were you worried?"

"Well, there was a huge ... whatever that is," Issa said, gesturing at the conflagration. "What _is_ it, anyway?" Issa said.

"Ah, yes, I should probably have warned you," Freya said. "Sorry. That's a fire. It will keep us warm in the night. The land doesn't retain heat the way the sea does."

"I've never seen the like," Kirikana said.

"Nor I," said Issa, "and I have witnessed many demonstrations of wonders by mages from the Warm and Briny Sea and Thalassopolitan scientists alike."

"Well, it doesn't really work underwater," Freya said. "Come on, let's go a little closer. It'll get much colder once the sun sets completely. That is, if you think you can manage a little more walking practice."

Kirikana pulled herself up, then reached down to help Issa. "Let us try 'fire', Princess Issa," she said.

There followed a lesson in a strange landfolk custom called "cooking"; Freya gave them both small pieces of a land animal she had caught to eat, but only after they had undergone some sort of transformation due to the heat of the fire. Issa wasn't sure if the effect was magical or not, but her new body seemed to find the end results extremely palatable. "That was delicious," she said.

Kirikana made a humming sound of agreement through her final mouthful. Then she wiped her lips with the back of her hand and said, "Is it true that the landfolk cover themselves?"

"If any landfolk found us all looking like this, they would be very surprised indeed."

"Their ways are very strange," Kirikana said earnestly. "Though not all of them are bad, I think." She gave Freya a sly look. "Issa and I tried kissing earlier. It was ... intense."

"Ah, yes, the breath thing," Freya said.

"You don't mind, do you?" Issa said, suddenly concerned. "That you weren't there?"

"Of course not," Freya said. "Though now that we are all here--"

She was cut off by Kirikana suddenly leaning over and kissing her. When they broke off for breath, they each reached out an arm towards Issa.

"I'm still not sure about all this," Issa said. "It's all so different. I don't feel ... myself."

"You're still you," Freya said. "Only your outward form has changed. And if you don't eat the next potion, you'll start to change back tomorrow. None of it's permanent and there's nothing to be afraid of. I promise."

Issa moved in closer, almost falling into their mutual embrace. "Very well, then," she said.

"We agreed we would just kiss," Kirikana said.

Freya nodded. "Fair enough." Then she leaned over to kiss Issa.

A few moments later, she made way for Kirikana to do the same. Freya moved round slightly to place a kiss on Issa's shoulder, looking her in the eye to judge whether she was open to it. Issa gave a minute nod, so as not to break the contact between her lips and Kirikana's.

As Freya went on, Issa's hand made its way up her side until it was cupping her breast.

"What happened to just kissing?" Freya said.

Issa extricated herself from Kirikana for a moment. "It's my rule," she said. "I get to break it." She didn't like to admit that the movement had been almost entirely subconscious.

"Well, in that case ..." Kirikana said, kissing her again, but this time reaching around to slide a hand up and down Issa's spine. Issa felt the strange shivering-but-not-cold sensation again. "Is that--" Kirikana said.

"No," Issa said. "No, keep doing it, please."

Soon, they were all three entangled; Issa's hand met Kirikana's behind Freya's back for a moment as they all took turns kissing one another. Gradually, Issa become conscious of the fact that she was feeling much warmer, and not only as a result of being near the fire. She took Kirikana's hand in hers and moved it to the dividing point between her legs. "Is this what you meant," she asked, "when you were talking about _feelings_?"

"Yes," Kirikana said.

Freya laughed good-naturedly at them. "Changing your mind, Your Highness?"

"Perhaps," Issa allowed. "But ... what exactly do landfolk do about these feelings?"

"Oh, many different things," Freya said. "More than I could show you if we did this every day and every night until the next new moon. But ..." She placed her hand on top of Kirikana's, and guided it into making stroking motions up and down. Issa writhed and gasped involuntarily.

"This is ... not the same as our way," Issa said. "Not that I know much about that, I'll admit," she managed to finish before breaking off into moans as Kirikana's fingers probed further.

"Then again," Freya said, "one can also ..." She kissed Issa's breast, and then began kissing down her front, until she was just above where Kirikana's hand remained. With small, darting motions of her tongue she found a small focus of excitement that Issa hadn't even really been conscious of until now.

Issa decided that she ought to try to reciprocate. She reached for Kirikana, but found that she was too far away. And before she could say anything, her body was overtaken by a series of strange sensations, as though the Currents themselves were running through her body. For a moment, it seemed to Issa as though this new feeling would last forever, but then, gradually, it faded.

"That looked fun," Kirikana said to Freya. "Can I try doing that to you?" Issa was surprised; she had expected Kirikana to request the same treatment for herself. Certainly in their earlier encounters, Freya had seemed extremely eager to please them both. Too exhausted for the moment to do anything but watch, Issa saw Freya lie back and Kirikana bend over her. Just as Freya had done to Issa, Kirikana kissed her way down Freya's body before reaching the point where in her true form her scales would have begun.

Freya's hands flew outwards, and one found Issa's, squeezing it tightly. Despite the feelings of tired contentment washing through her, Issa rolled towards her, kissing her while Kirikana continued. Freya's hand took hold of Issa's and guided it towards Kirikana's leg. Issa took the hint and slid her hand upwards until it met the same point that Freya's tongue had found on her earlier. Kirikana felt warm and slick, signs that Issa now recognised from her own experience as meaning she was becoming highly aroused.

Soon, both Kirikana and Freya were crying out in pleasure as they reached their own climaxes, before they all ended up tangled together with Freya in the middle.

"That really is very different," Kirikana said as they all snuggled together. "Thank you, both of you. Especially you, Issa. I know you weren't--"

"No, please," Issa said. "Don't say any more. I might have been a bit slow to come to terms with this new body, but I can definitely see the advantages now."

Freya kissed her lightly. "Good," she said. "Because you still have a lot to learn. Both of you."

Kirikana leaned over to kiss them both. "I am glad we have such a good teacher," she said.

"And I am glad to have you two at my side," Issa said.

"And in your bed," Kirikana said with a giggle.

"That too," Issa admitted. "But I mean it. While I was waiting for you two to swim here, I was thinking about everything that's happened. If it hadn't been for both of you, I don't know what would have happened to me."

Kirikana was suddenly all earnestness. "We'll be with you until the end," she said. "We will help you find your mother."

"And restore her to her throne," Freya added, equally earnest and fired up with a sense of betrayal at Astarte's actions almost as intense as Issa's own.

"I hope you'll be with me long after that as well," Issa said. "If that is what you want, that is."

They both smiled at that, and the last thing Issa saw before she fell asleep was the dancing firelight reflected on her lovers' pupils.


End file.
